Q: Hi Mamata, a while back, you were on a one-way path to becoming a doctor (your family is full of medical professionals), but that didn't happen. It was a canceled plan.
Yeah, that's been my biggest canceled plan, because for so long that was the one-way trajectory I was on. Everyone thought I was going to be a doctor. I thought I was going to be a doctor, even though I didn't want to be one. Halfway through college, I wasn't doing well in pre-med classes, and it was not because I didn't have the interest or the intelligence to do well. My own mental health issues plus not being naturally good at those subjects was a combination for disaster.
I'm grateful to my mom, who saw me struggling and saw that it wasn't what I wanted to do. She said, "Okay, maybe you should try something different." There were a lot of disappointed people, including me, as it was who I thought I was supposed to be for a long time. That vision was molded by so many people, and it was all I knew as my identity. I still struggle, because it derailed everything.
Q: That couldn't have been easy. How did you navigate that decision? You said you were struggling with mental health back then.
As a child raised in the U.S. with immigrant parents, there is a part of me that is built to become my parents' dreams. That is not at all a knock against immigrant parents in the U.S. with dreams, but it's a lot of pressure on them and their kids. We're finally getting to a place where society has language for it. Back then, I was so compliant, and even the idea of stepping out of that shell was terrifying, because it had been an unsafe comfort zone for so long.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2023 من Heartfulness eMagazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
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هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة October 2023 من Heartfulness eMagazine.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
TIME IS A PRECIOUS RESOURCE
SARA BUBBER tells a story about a king who set a challenge in order to find an assistant. The outcome teaches us the value of time. She also gives us a thoughtful heart activity, and tells us some fun facts about time.
WHEN A BIRD SINGS, DO YOU ANALYZE IT?
SIDDHARTH KAK is an Indian documentary maker, television producer, and presenter, best known as the producer and presenter of Surabhi. Here, he is interviewed by PURNIMA RAMAKRISHNAN at the Global Spirituality Mahotsav about being stoic, and he shares two unique stories on how culture and language can transcend borders, time, and unexpected circumstances.
Become Your Own Influence
AARYAN ARORA is a young actor, musician, and composer. He was interviewed by PRAGYA MISHRA during the Global Spirituality Mahotsav on the impact of meditation on his creativity and sense of inner balance, and the advice he would give young people struggling to find their way.
Cultivating Peace: Water, Wetlands, and Biophilia for a Loving World
SRAVAN BANDA reminds us of the importance of water in a peaceful world. He especially focuses on wetlands, often referred to as the Earth's kidneys, and asks us to continue the work of World Water Day throughout the rest of the year.
It's Time for Love to Go Viral
DR. ROLLIN MCCRATY shares the science of the synchronicity between the heart and mind and, when they are in sync, how the love that is created can positively connect us to each other and everything in the world.
HUMAN FELLOWSHIP
NILAKSHI RAJKHOWA is the Director, Office of Public Affairs, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'i Faith in India. During the Mahotsav, she challenged everyone to join together to overcome our current crises, by starting with the heart.
There Will Always Be PROBLEMS
GOUR GOPAL DAS is an Indian monk, lifestyle coach, motivational speaker, and former electrical engineer. He talks about the inevitability of problems and how developing a state of inner peace can help us to navigate those problems, and not allow them to hold us back from living a fulfilling and whole life.
An Honor Bestowed
On the final morning of the Mahotsav, the Right Honorable PATRICIA SCOTLAND, KC, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, spoke about the role DAAJI has played in bringing spirituality to the world, unifying people of all faiths and cultures, and nurturing nature. In honor of his work, she bestowed upon him the title of Global Ambassador for Peacebuilding and Faith in the Commonwealth. Below is the speech she made while conferring the honor.
Love for the Sake of Love
On the second day of the Mahotsav, DAAJI spoke about the purpose of the gathering, why there are different religious practices in different faiths, how to nurture the soul, and how all people can come together for a better world.
RECONNECTING WITH YOUR INNER CHILD
DR. JOSEPH HOWELL is the founder of The Institute for Conscious Being in the US. During his keynote address at the Global Spirituality Mahotsav, he guided the audience through an exercise to help them find spiritual connection by connecting to their inner child.